


Holiday Cheer

by nugatory



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-22 19:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19978108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nugatory/pseuds/nugatory
Summary: Eric instills some holiday cheer in Aaron. Set before the events of outbreak.





	Holiday Cheer

“You know, babe, most people just get fake trees these days,” Aaron commented as he followed his boyfriend around the Christmas tree lot. “Less of a carbon footprint, spares these little spruces from a short life of being chopped down and put in someone’s living room and covered in balls before they dry out and die.”

Eric looked over his shoulder with an ambiguous smirk. “Sounds like a good life to me.” Aaron couldn’t help but laugh, the breath curling out of his mouth in a puff of white mist. “We can get a fake tree next year, but this is our first Christmas together. I want it to be special.”

“We were together last Christmas, Eric.” Aaron argued.

Eric turned, eyes scanning around them before he pulled Aaron closer. “Our first Christmas living together.”

Aaron smiled and leaned in to kiss Eric’s lips gently before stepping back and looking at the tree Eric had been eyeing. “Alright. So, is this the one?”

Circling the tree once more with a critical eye, Eric nodded with a smile. “This is the one.”

Aaron flagged down one of the workers, who came and cut the tree loose. While Eric settled up with the cashier, Aaron helped the worker get the tree to his car and tie it to the roof. He couldn’t help but think of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and laughed to himself—grateful Eric hadn’t insisted they go out and cut down their own tree.

Getting the tree back to their shared loft apartment and up to the 8th floor went much smoother than Aaron had anticipated. Eric stood back and directed Aaron on where the tree needed to be, making him move 2 steps in either direction until he finally decided on the perfect spot. They secured the tree in the stand and Aaron added water to help keep the tree alive through the holiday while Eric retrieved his box of decorations. 

Looking at the spread of lights, beaded garland, bright colored balls, the bangles and bells, the tinsel and more, Aaron knew this was going to be some serious tree decorating. He wrapped his arms around Eric’s waist from behind, nuzzling the other man’s neck as Eric untangled the first strand of lights. “What do you say I make us some of my world famous hot cocoa?” He pressed a soft kiss against the pale skin of his lover’s neck. “A little peppermint schnapps mixed in, mini marshmallows…the whole nine yards.”

Eric turned his head to the side to capture Aaron’s lips, a languid smile painting his face. “Sounds perfect.”

Aaron kissed him again sweetly, then headed off to the kitchen to make their drinks. Eric continued to untangle the string of lights, muttering to himself how it was possible to carefully ball up each strand every year, only to have them end up in a horrible mess the next Christmas. When all the lights had been untangled, Eric tested each strand to make sure every bulb worked. Aaron returned to the living room with two steaming mugs just as Eric finished replacing the burned out bulbs, and handed him his mug.

“Alright,” Aaron said, taking a careful sip. “Where do we start?”

“The first layer of lights has to go around the inside of the tree,” Eric explained, making a spiral motion with his finger. “From the top down, around the trunk.”

Aaron set his mug down and rubbed his hands together. “I’m ready. Hand me some lights.”

Grinning at Aaron’s enthusiasm, Eric waited for Aaron to climb up on a chair so he could reach the top a little easier, then handed him the end of the first strand. He made a loose coil with the remainder of the strand, then slowly circled the tree as Aaron pulled the lights in as close to the trunk as possible. 

“I feel like you should be singing Ring Around the Rosy,” Aaron teased as Eric made his fifth circuit around the tree. “Getting dizzy yet?”

“No, but I am seeing flaws in the tree I didn’t notice at the lot.” Eric lamented.

“It’s too late to return it, we’ve already promised it a good home.”

Eric laughed softly. “At least the flaws are facing the window so I won’t have to look at them.”

“Just anyone who happens to look in our window will see them,” Aaron teased with a grin, earning a hardy smack on his rear at Eric’s next pass.

With the first strand secured, Eric instructed Aaron to start hanging the next string of lights on the branches, again from the top. He smirked deviously as he circled the tree this time, feeding enough of the strand to Aaron so that his boyfriend didn’t realize he was being mummified in lights as well until the third loop around.

“What the…babe!!” 

Eric erupted into a fit of laughter, working backwards to untangle the strand from around Aaron before they continued hanging the lights properly. “Was decorating for the holidays a big part of your Christmas tradition?”

“Not really,” Aaron answered. “We had a tree and everything, but my mother didn’t want us anywhere near it. My memories of getting the tree ready were listening to my parents fighting over the lights, and the fact that my mother had so many ornaments that you couldn’t even see the damn tree.”

“That sounds kind of depressing,” Eric frowned, remembering his childhood filled with the excitement of Christmas and the entire family gathering around to decorate the tree.

“That’s why I’ve never made a big deal out of having a tree or decorating before now. It just never held the same meaning for me as it does for you.”

Eric pulled Aaron into him after they finished hanging the last of the lights, kissing him tenderly and cupping his soft, warm face. “Thank you for indulging me with this.”

Aaron grinned, brushing his nose against Eric’s. “Yeah, it’s a real chore.”

Eric stepped away to plug in the lights and look over their work, fixing the dark spots by readjusting the strands. Aaron picked up his mug and sipped his drink, looking over the collection of Christmassy crap before he spotted a bough of mistletoe tied up with a red bow. He picked up the mistletoe and snuck up behind Eric, holding the Mistletoe over their heads. “Babe…”

“Hm?” Eric interjected distractedly, still focusing on the tree.

Aaron didn’t speak, just continued to stand there under the mistletoe until Eric finally turned around to see what the other man wanted. He watched the smile peel across Eric’s face as understanding dawned on him, then felt his boyfriend’s body press up against his. Eric’s arms slipped around Aaron’s neck and he leaned up to capture his lips in a slow, sweet, lasting kiss. Aaron hummed softly in approval, enticing Eric into a deeper kiss when the other man started to pull away.

“Maybe that needs to stay out year-round,” Eric teased once the kiss had ended, licking the taste of Aaron from his lips before he picked up his mug of spiked cocoa and sipped the treat. 

After the lights came the beaded garland—shiny baubles of red and white tightly strung together like a rope. Eric had started working the first garland from the top to the middle of the tree, while Aaron coiled his up. When Eric turned around to get the second garland, Aaron looped it around Eric’s neck like Mardi Gras beads and used it to pull the other man into another playful kiss.

Eric couldn’t help but smile and laugh, knowing that this was the first Christmas decorating experience that Aaron had probably actually enjoyed, and indulged his lover in all the kisses he wanted as they put their tree together.

When it finally came down to just the ornaments and tinsel, Eric picked up a small, plain white box, and took Aaron by the hand, leading him over to the couch. “In my family, we have a tradition,” Eric explained as he held the box in his hands. “Each year everyone gets a special ornament to mark the year.”

Aaron watched as Eric held out the little box to him.

“I want to continue that tradition with you. Each year we spend together, I want to see a new ornament on our tree. This one will be our first.”

Taking the box from Eric, Aaron lifted off the top and smiled at the simple round ornament. He picked it up by the string to see two snowmen hugging, the words ‘Our First Christmas’ in a fancy font over their heads, and the year written in the snow beneath them. “I love it,” he told Eric, touched by the man’s thoughtfulness. “It’s perfect…you’re perfect.”

“I want to make Christmas a happier time for you,” Eric told him, pulling Aaron’s forehead down against his and closing his eyes for a minute. “I want to make every day happier for you.”

“You already do, Eric. My life has been infinitely better since you came into it.” They shared another intimate kiss before Aaron stood up and placed ornament on the tree, beaming with pride. “Look at that, my first ornament hung on my first tree.”

Eric laughed and pointed to the boxes of ornaments behind Aaron. “Good job, babe…now just do the rest of those and let me know if you’re still as giddy.”

The two laughed, then set about scattering the bangles and bells and bright colored balls around the branches of the tree. Aaron was the first to reach for the silver tinsel, and dropped a fistful on top of Eric’s ginger hair. Several pieces rained down over Eric’s shoulders, and even hung off one of his ears. Laughing, Eric took the tinsel from his hair and pelted it at Aaron, hitting him in the chest with it. Silvery strands of tinsel flew between them as they engaged in a short-lived battle, and Aaron wiped tears of mirth from his eyes as Eric picked tinsel out of his soft curls. 

“I love you,” Aaron smiled fondly.

“I love you too, babe.” Eric kissed him, then pointed to the tinsel littering the floor. “Now help me clean this shit up.”

Aaron erupted into laughter again, but helped Eric pick up every piece of tinsel and scatter it around the tree instead. Eric put away the empty boxes for the decorations, and Aaron dimmed the lights so that only the soft twinkling lights on the tree illuminated the room. He had to admit, this instilled a strangely peaceful and cheery feeling, and he wondered if it was simply because there hasn’t been any arguing during the decorating to sour the mood, or if it was because of Eric. As the love of his life came back into the living room, Aaron knew that what he was feeling was solely because of Eric. The man was his own personal ray of sunshine, bringing light to his life and giving him hope and happiness he’d never experienced before.

They settled on the couch together with their near-empty cups of now-cool cocoa, Eric pressing into Aaron’s side as Aaron wrapped an arm around him. Aaron pressed a soft kiss to Eric’s temple, nuzzling his hair gently. “Thanks for doing this. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.”

Eric smirked, looking at Aaron with a knowing expression. “Just wait until we have to take it all down again.”

Aaron snapped his fingers. “You know, I just remembered, I have somewhere to be that day.”

Eric laughed, knowing the other man was kidding. “Don’t worry, babe. It can wait until you’re here. No matter how long it takes.”

They laughed together, sharing a kiss once more before looking deep into each other’s eyes. “Merry Christmas, Eric.”

“Merry Christmas, Aaron.”


End file.
